Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

Being the proud father of two young children (4 and 1), the garden and gardening seemed to be the perfect location to introduce my kids to part of the cycle of life: Growing from a tiny seed, being nourished, flowering, producing and finally dying and the growth of the next generation.

It also seemed to be the perfect location to make sure my daughter didn’t grow up to be a woman who screamed and ran at the sight of bugs!

So, with these in mind, I set out with two projects: Showing my daughter that bugs aren’t scary, and showing her how to grow and look after some plants of her very own – Tomatoes!

Well, she delighted in purchasing the little tomato plants from the store, and very carefully dug a hole for each little sprout, dropped them in and covered the top with soil.

When we found an earthworm or pill-bug, the first question was, “Can I touch it?”

It was great! We even found a couple of caterpillars to put in a little plastic insect house for her to watch.

Sadly though, heart break was to come.

First, one of the caterpillars died.

Her first exposure to death was very sad and made her cry when I told her the caterpillar would become alive again. It is a difficult, but useful lesson and we buried said caterpillar next to the tomatoes.

Then the joy of summer and the picking of delicious red, juicy tomatoes came. Not that mommy or daddy got to see any, since they were dutifully plucked and eaten before ever reaching the dinner table.

No, the last heart break was in late fall. The tomato plants turning brown and wilting. Again, explaining to my daughter that these plants only last for one year and then they died was as sad as any caterpillar passing could have been.

She was finally mollified by the fact that there were plenty of tomato plant babies to grow for next year.

She now waits patiently for me to buy the next generation, so she can see life happen in front of her all over again.

• ISBN13: 9781580170277
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
This classic has now taught generations of gardeners how to use the natural benefits of plants to protect and support each other. Here is a reader’s complete reference to which plants nourish the soil, which keep away bugs and pests, and which plants just don’t get along. Here is a complete guide to using companion planting to grow a better garden. 555,000 copies in print.Amazon.com Review
This gardening classic was first published in 1975, and now a seco… More >>

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About two years ago, at the beckoning of my 4 year old, I decided that we would try to start a garden. While he really wanted to use most of the backyard, I agreed that we could take a few feet back by the bushes. He was all excited, racing me to the shed to get the shovel and start digging.

About 20 minutes later, I was covered in sweat and he was covered in dirt. We had an area about 2 feet wide by about 2 feet wide dug up. Although I was trying, I couldn’t get any further. My son was sitting in the middle of the dirt and wouldn’t move for me to go futher. There we just way to many worms and other bugs in that small area. Finally, he lost interest and I was able to finish digging up the garden.

Next we had to hit the local store to get some plants for the garden. We got cherry tomato plants, pumpkin seeds, and some other odds and ends. The funniest thing was that he didn’t even like vegetables, yet we were planting them and trying to grow them. When we got back to the house, we headed out to plant our goods and give them plenty of water.

For most of the rest of the summer, he lost all interest in the garden. It was just another thing that Daddy had to take care of. Eventually though, he noticed that there were little balls on the tomatoe plants. I explained that they were the tomatoes and that they wouldn’t grow much larger. The next day when I came home from work, all of the balls were off the plants! For the rest of the growing season, as soon as the tomatoes got started, they were picked and thrown around the yard. So much for fresh, homegrown tomatoes.